Shogun was... alright
Shogun was a decent watch, though not one that left me eagerly anticipating a second season. The show’s portrayal of feudal Japan was interesting, with an obvious dedication to capturing the cultural and historical essence of the time, which I appreciated. The production value was high, and visually, it was quite immersive, with detailed sets and costumes that effectively transported viewers to a different era.However, despite these strengths, the pacing often felt sluggish, and it sometimes struggled to maintain momentum. Some characters, while well-acted, lacked the depth needed to truly connect with viewers, making it harder to stay fully invested in their journeys. The story had moments of intrigue but didn’t consistently deliver, and there were points where I found myself waiting for it to pick up or offer something unexpected.
Overall, while Shogun had its strong points, it didn’t capture my interest in a way that would bring me back for another season. It’s worth a watch if you’re interested in historical dramas, but it ultimately left me wanting a bit more in terms of both narrative depth and engagement.
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Visually flashy, but obsessed with death
I don't remember much from the first American TV production of Shogun (1980), so I'm only able to re-watch scenes on YouTube for comparison. Interestingly one scene, Blackthorne explaining his understanding of the world map to Toranaga, is recreated almost word for word in the latest production by Disney+.The remake gives a very different feel as there is unexpected weight given to the Japanese characters, especially that of struggling feudal Lord Toranaga. Much of the dialogue is in Japanese and even the episode titles are bilingual. This is perhaps an attempt to give the show an authentic Asian drama presentation, but there's something that's still very American in its tone. So much attention was paid to authentic visual detail, but I think the forest ended up getting lost in the trees.
I grew up watching North American TV, but spending the last 3 years watching Asian (C/K/J) productions has given me a new view of cinematic storytelling. There are stark differences but it took me a while to figure out exactly how to describe it in one word, but I thought of it: gratuitous. North American audiences are so obsessed with gore that they need to see the heads flying for the sake of seeing heads flying. Not to mention sex without love; there's no meaning attached. How does that flying head affect the person making or watching it happen? (Compare the execution of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones for an emotional beheading). The show thus became an endless parade of suicide & killing in the most gruesome manner, every single episode. Death is something each character is resigned to on daily basis & sex is just something you do like going to the gym; it's no wonder everyone is miserably hopeless. Was is truly the zeitgeist of Japanese feudal society?
The setting is stunning considering how every structure is a replica. Unfortunately I felt a lot of the beauty was lost in the very dark lighting of so many scenes, all in shades of grey & blue. This is made worse with a lower res tv. Why film in the dark, other than to emphasize the very dreary atmosphere with the constant threat of death under every stone. Mud, mist, & rain are prominent. Every scene is cold, wet, muddy & bloody.
Equally monotone are the personalities of all the characters. A very narrow range of emotion makes the show seem to present a stereotypical portrait of Japanese people as serious, stoic, humourless, and inscrutable. Any expression of joy is muted against the background of rain & darkness. I realized I couldn't sympathize with any of the characters. Where's the base human emotion that connects us all? One episode is titled "Eight Fold Fence", describing the wall behind which a person hides their inner selves for protection from a chaotic outer world. This just means everyone is so withdrawn that even viewers can't connect. How can one sypmathize & be drawn into any character's story in this way? The only thing left to be interested in was the political intrigue, which is simply a history lesson.
With the politics being a final note, this series ends on a cliff hanger, ready for a season 2, as this first season was basically a huge build up for a war that has yet to happen. Making the characters more human would be a big improvement for the next season. Otherwise I'd have to say this show was a not an elevation from a typical flashy American show. Rated 7.5 for the production.
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This review may contain spoilers
Very good but not perfect
Please be aware I haven't seen the original series, didn't even know it existed. Didn't know this was adapted from a book either, so I'm reviewing this as if it was the only thing out there.I think the best of this show are the way it's filmed, the general atmosphere, architecture, the inclusion of naginata (damn finally) and the clothing.
I have to give kudos to the architecture, atmosphere and scenery especially since, as far as I know, it was mostly recorded in Vancouver area, so to pull something like this in such a completely different place it's amazing work. But, I also have to admit that it took me out of the story a couple of times when I did recognise a couple of landscapes as someone that has been in the area as well as the fact that while certain landscapes can pass for areas of Japan, others were a bit of a stretch.
The plot keeps you invested most of the time, but it does suffer from being a bit convoluted at times and slightly dragging at others when it seems it doesn't know what it wants to do next, as well as that general repetition in the execution of leaving most of the action and interesting plot points to the last couple of episodes. The atmospheric shots and general vibe are amazing though and I enjoyed them a lot.
Acting was generally very good although I do have to agree with another review that Anna Sawai is the one for me that gave the most of a contemporary vibe compared with the others, but it wasn't very jarring as to be a constant reminder.
If you're looking for a Japanese production this is not it, and I do think there are things that are done in the way they did because of budget constraints. This could very well change for subsequent seasons considering the international acclaim.
The main reasons why it doesn't make it a 10 for me are:
- Echoing what I said before, the plot can be convoluted at times.
- I know they're going for the serious stern look but I missed a bit more emotion (other than the ones from John being too much the opposite at times).
- I'm never a fan of shows with the token westerner that is supposed to be the main character and that become the centre of the universe even if based on real life. While I think they did a much better job here than in others I'm still not a fan, plus this brings me to:
- The worst character for me was John Blackthorne. I'm going to assume this is a mix between what was asked of the actor and his acting. He gave drunkard vibes in his mannerisms and way of speaking. At points I was not sure what the point of him was, and I'm still not sure I get it. I also don't remember him being a ship engineer/builder so why it's that task put onto him in the end, I just don't know. I read the real life figure that inspired the book version was indeed a ship builder, but in the show I can't remember ever being mentioned.
- The fact that they decided to go with Japanese language for the majority of the show is absolutely great, but it pisses me off that the times when they're supposed to be speaking in Portuguese they're in English. At the beginning it was very confusing at times and at some point even if you're assuming it's Portuguese you really don't know anymore. We are to assume that when John is speaking to someone just because (even though he knows they don't understand him) he's speaking in English because it's his mother tongue and he's alone so to speak, but maybe he's trying in Portuguese? We'll never know.
For a show that decided to go for realism with the Japanese language it's a big disappointment it didn't go all the way. People are already reading subtitles anyway, what are a few more? I want the whole experience, not only half of it just to please Hollywood.
If you like historical fantasy, politics, power struggles, good atmosphere, retro feel and good costuming I would totally recommend. Aesthetics are on point.
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A BIG NO!!
I was pretty excited to watch this due to the high ratings, but it didn’t keep my interest. I literally suffered through maybe 5 episodes, but dropped it. Very boring for me, but I can’t put my finger on why… I think because I’m comparing it with the acting and strong plots in other period Dramas I’ve watched. Dramas that I binged watched because they were so good. Dramas like: The Red Sleeve, The Crowned Clown, A Frozen Flower, all the Rurouni Kenshin Dramas, Empress Ki, Mr. Sunshine, Moon Lovers, just to name a few. Shogun just wasn’t good, but I guess it’s because I am comparing it to the ones I listed. I gave it a 4 for the production value. I was happy to drop it, my suffering is over. Maybe I’ll just re-watch Moon LoversWas this review helpful to you?
Pleasantly surprised at how authentic it is
Being an American production, I was worried about a repeat of Memoir of a geisha, where geishas speak English and are played by Chinese actresses. Not here. Everything from costumes to language was Sengoku era Japan. If anything, I really didn't think the Pacific Northwest (filming location) resembled Japan at all lol but given the circumstances, I understand why it's done.Out of all the characters, I didn't care for Blackthorne. I do appreciate an outsider's perspective, but without him the story wouldn't have been drastically different. Really enjoyed the portrayal of Mariko (Hosokawa Gracia in history) and Toranaga (Tokugawa Ieyasu in history). Toranaga is EXACTLY what I imagine Ieyasu to look like and I'm not sure if we'll ever get another Ieyasu that close to my imagination (I regularly watch taiga - Japanese 50-episode long historical dramas).
People lament the lack of a "final" battle, but IMO it would have been very ordinary for that to happen (though pleasant to watch I'm sure). I remember watching GoT final battle and that was just a borefest, I was wondering when the killing would end. That battle did nothing for me emotionally. The plot deciding for no final battle was the correct decision IMO, a lot of the times battles are not won on the field but behind the scene, within political intrigues and people manipulation, and Shogun got all of that right.
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Good Enough
Japanese Drama '' Shogun '' is a historical drama based on the same-titled novel.The series has an optimal atmosphere, with costumes and settings being excellent! The lighting and the camera filters also aided in creating the right mood.
In addition, the drama had killer performances by everyone in the cast but, especially, the leads and the female lead more precisely. She was a storm indeed!
As for the story, it was a political thriller with nice twists and an interesting ending.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
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